Suction cleaner



Jan. 1, 1952 H. B. WHITE 2,580,630

sucrzou CLEANER Filed Jan. 14, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 mvsuron.

Harry B. W]: i te May 7M,

ATTORNEY.

Jan. 1, 1952 H. B. WHITE 2,530,630-

' SUCTION CLEANER Filed Jan. 14, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET. 2

V INVENTOR. Harry B. WI: its

Fzg 3 2/ s:

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 1, 1952 SUCTION CLEANER .Harry B. White, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North vCanton, hio,. a corporation of Ohio .iApplication January 14, 1950,"SerlalNo. 138,575

13 Claims. 1

.,The present invention relates to suction cleaners ,and more particularly to asimplified filter adapter.

This applicationis a continuation in part of my application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 136,'filed.January 2, 1948, and now abandoned.

The present invention features a low-cost filter adapter of simple design havingconvenience and operational advantages heretofore possessed only by .more complex and costly constructions. 7

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to providea novel filter adapter for use on a suction cleaner.

Another object is the provision of a filter adapter. having a flexibly supported filter conduit and an independently supported filter clamp therefor.

.Still another object is the, provision of a filter adapter in which the filter conduit is biased to move away from the filter clamp upon the open- .of the latter.

.Ai further .object is the provision of a filter adapter in which at least a part of a filter. is clamped theretoby moving the adapter against firfiXQCl wall conforming to the adjacent walls of the adapter.

Yet another object is theprovision of a filter mounting in whicha filterbag is removably secured thereto by moving ,a portion thereof against a-fixedwalland in part by a releasable clamp.

"Various other'objects and advantages will become apparent from-the following specification and drawings inwhich:

,"Figurelis aside view'partly. insection of the invention as applied to a suction cleaner;

Figure 2 is a top end view of the adapter in readiness for the mounting of a filter thereon; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2showing a filter clamped in place.

Mynoveladapter may beconnected to the air discharge passage of any conventional type suc tion.,c1eaner. The constructional details'of'the cleaner proper. are not material to theinvention. Accordingly, only the rear half of .a typical cleaner isshowninthe drawings. This cleaner comprises a body l-ll carrying a vertical axis motor-fan unit enclosedby. a removable head i l. Acleaner propelling handle I 2 is pivotally supported ona bracket. carried by body Hlbeneath hood H. ,A pair of wheels Mare resiliently supported on the lower rear. .corner.,of cleaner body ill. .,The. air. discharge passage of .theflfan opens 2 throughthegrear inclined wall l5. of the. cleaner body.

jMynovel' filter adapter "assembly comprises: a main body ring I6 of metal or other suitable material. As here shown, body ring I6 is generally elliptical in shape and is provided with a central passageway i! which registers with the exhaust air passageway opening through inclined wall I5 of the cleaner body. A flanged lip I8 along the lower periphery of body l0 interlocks with a pair of fingers l9 carried by the lower rear corner of the cleaner body. An upstanding flange 20 extending along the upper wall of ring lfiis adapted to be releasably secured to the cleaner by a keeper 2| one end of which is pivotally secured to the cleaner body.

A flexible tubular member 22 of rubber or the like is securely mounted within passage ll of ring vlfi and is held in place as by a split ring keeper 23. The forward or inlet end of tube 22 may be enlarged and serrated on itsend face to act :as a sealing gasket between the cleaner body and. the adapter unit. The outer end 24 of tube 22. is secured to an annularfilter seating collar 25. uCcllari Z-Ehas a lower skirt 26 the inner wall of which isspaced appreciably from the outer wall of the resilient tube 22 for a purpose which will become apparent below. The upper outer face of collar 25 may be beveled and serve as a pilot in guiding the inlet neck of a filter bag into place on the collar. While tube 22 has been described as flexible and made of rubber or the like, it will be understood that tube 22 may'inelude an elbow, ball and socket joint or other means rendering collar 25 movable slightlywith respect to the cleaner body.

As will be understood from reference to Figures -1 and 2, .the upper'side of mounting ring it .is provided with an integral upstanding wall 21. Wall 21 extends along the entire top side of ring. I6 and has an inner face 28 which conforms to the shape of the adjacent walls of collar 25. One endlof each of the-filterclampingbands 29 and 3ll .are pivotally connected near the ,ends of wall. by means ofscrews or rivets 3l,' 32. Bands 29 and SlJarepreferably formed of light spring steel. The free end of band 29 may be rolled .over and serveas a detentfora toggle clamp pivotally connected to the free end of band30. 'Toggle34 may be formed of wire stock and provided with shoulders 35 upon its opposite sides which latch over curled end 33 ,of band 29.

The novel adapter is particularly suitedior use with paper. typeffilterr bags although it will be understood ,thatjfilteribagsof other matefial bly. The upper end of envelope 38 is preferably.

attached to the propelling handle 12 by a spring or other equivalent means.

Operation Before proceeding with a description of the mode of operation, it is desired to point out that Figure 1 shows tubular member 22 distorted from its normal position and the one it tends to assume when clamping bands 29, 30 are released. As clearly shown in Figure l, the upper end of tube 22 is offset vertically from its inlet end. This is because latching of bands 29, 30 has shifted collar 25 and the upper end of tube 22 upwardly against the fixed wall 21 carried by the mounting ring. Hence, as soon as the clamping band is released the upper end of tube 22 and collar 25 moves downwardly away from wall 21 and into axial alignment with the inlet end of the adapter assembly.

Let it be assumed that the filter is mounted upon the adapter as shown in Figure l and that the cleaner has been operated until it becomes necessary to replace the filter bag with a new one. Normally the operator would place the propelling handle in its vertical storage position. Slide fastener 4| on the under side of envelope 3% is first opened to expose the adapter assembly and filter bag 31. The operator next grasps the end of toggle 34 and swings it outwardly to release clamp 29, 30. As the two halves of the clamp swing away from the filter mounting collar by gravity action, the relieved stress on flexible tube 22 moves collar 25 downward away from fixed wall 21. This movement provides more than ample clearance between the upper sides of the collar and fixed wall 21 for the removal of the old filter and more particularly for the placement of a new filter bag over the end of collar 25. Convenient assembly of a new filter is facilitated by the beveled end of collar 25 which acts as a pilot to guide the neck of the filter into position. As soon as the filter is firmly seated the operator swings the free end of clamp 29, 36 together and latches toggle clip 34 over rolled end 33 of the other half. This action forces the collar upwardly to clamp the upper side of the filter neck securely between collar 25 and wall 21. The remaining periphery of the inlet neck is securely clamped to the collar in an airtight manner by resilient bands 29, 30. Slide fastener 4| is closed and the cleaner is restored to operation.

Some users prefer to dismount the entire filter assembly, including the adapter, and take it to a place of dirt disposal before exchanging filters. This is easily accomplished by the present invention. Thus, the operator need but detach the upper end of appearance envelope 38 from the handle and then swing keeper latch 2| upwardly to release the entire adapter assembly from the cleaner body.

While I have shown and described but a single modification of my invention, it is to be understood'that this modification is to be taken as illustrative only and not ina limiting sense. I

do not wish to be limited to the particular structures shown and described, but to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A filter adapter assembly for a suction cleaner comprising, an annular base member, a tubu lar filter seating collar adapted to fit within the inlet opening of a filter bag, a resilient tubular member extending between said collar and said base member and forming part of the exhaust air passage from a suction cleaner to a filter mounted on said collar, and means for clamping a filter to said collar including rigid means integral with said base member positioned laterally of said collar and having a surface opposite and conforming in contour to the adjacent surface of said collar, and flexible clamping means carried by said rigid means and cooperable therewith to clamp a filter to said collar. 2. A filter adapter assembly for a suction cleaner as defined in claim 1 in which said resilient tubular member is so disposed relative to said rigid means laterally thereof as to move away from said rigid means when the filter clamping means is released thereby facilitating the removal and replacement of a filter on said collar Without interference from said rigid means.

3. A filter adapter assembly for connection to the exhaust outlet of a suction cleaner comprising, a flexible tubular member adapted to have its lower end connected to an exhaust air outlet, collar means on the discharge end of said member to receive a filter bag inlet thereover, and means for clamping a filter to said collar including a rigid wall laterally of said collar and conforming to the contour thereof for a major portion of the periphery of said collar, and flexible clamping means carried by said wall spanning the remaining periphery of said collar opposite the inlet end of a, filter in place on said collar whereby closing of said flexible clamping means shifts said collar laterally to clamp said filter between said wall and said collar for a major portion of the periphery of the collar and between said collar and said clamping means for the remaining periphery thereof.

4. A filter adapter assembly as defined in claim 3 in which the parts are so disposed that when said flexible clamp is released said flexible tubular member and the filter collar thereon automatically assume their normal positions relative to one another in which said collar is spaced laterally away from said rigid wall to facilitate removal and replacement of a filter bag on said collar.

5. A filter adapter for use on a, suction cleaner comprising, an exhaust air conduit for connection to the exhaust of a suction fan, said conduit including a relatively rigid upper end adapted to receive the inlet end of a filter bag thereover and a lower end adapted to form a flexible connection between a, fan exhaust and said filter receiving end, and clamping means for clamping a filter to the rigid end of said conduit comprising a rigid wall conforming to the shape of and overlying said rigid end, and flexible means carried by said wall extending around the remaining periphery of said conduit end operable to shift said rigid conduit toward said rigid wall to clamp the filter inlet between said wall and said rigid conduit for a portion of its periphery and between said rigid conduit and said flexible means for the remainder of its periphery. I

6. A filter adapter for use on a suction cleaner comprising, an annular body member, a flexible tubular member secured to said body member and projecting upwardly and rearwardly therefrom when in place on a suction cleaner exhaust, a filter seating collar on the upper end of said flexible member, and filter clamping means surrounding said collar including rigid wall means overlying the upper side of said collar and conforming to the contour of the adjacent portions thereof, and expansible clamping means extending from the side edge portions of said wall around the remaining pheriphery of said collar, said filter seating collar being adapted to receive a filter inlet telescopically thereover, and said rigid wall and said expansible clamping means encircling said filter inlet whereby closing of said clamping means shifts said collar laterally toward said rigid wall so that said wall and said clamping means cooperate in clamping the filter to said collar throughout a substantially continuous peripheral area thereon.

7. A filter adapter as defined in claim 6 in which said expansible clamping means comprises a flexible band having one end secured to a side end of said rigid wall and a quickly releasable toggle means cooperable with the other side end thereof to lock the clamp in a closed, filter clamping position.

8. A filter adapter as defined in claim 6 in which said rigid wall is offset laterally from said collar when the clamping means is in open position whereby the closing of said clamp shifts said collar laterally against said wall to clamp the contiguous portions of a filter neck therebetween and whereby opening of said clamp permits said collar to move laterally away from said wall to facilitate removal and replacement of a filter bag.

9. In combination with the exhaust passageway of a suction cleaner, a filter adapter comprising a tubular filter seat including a resilient conduit having one end in communication with said passageway and a discharge end which is movable laterally of its axis to a limited extent, a fixed wall partially surrounding said seat to one side thereof, and movably mounted clamping means opposite said wall and operable as it closes to shift said seat laterally toward said fixed wall to clamp a filter positioned on said seat between said wall, said seat and said movable clamping means.

10. The combination recited in claim 9 characterized in that said movable clamping means includes means for looking it in its filter clamping position.

11. In combination with the exhaust passageway of a suction cleaner, a filter adapter comprising a filter seating collar, flexible tubular means resiliently connecting said collar to said passageway, a fixed wall supported from said cleaner opposite said collar and partially surrounding said collar, and means for shifting said collar laterally toward said wall and cooperable with said. collar and said wall to clamp a filter inlet onto said collar in an airtight manner.

12. The combination defined in claim 11 characterized in that said collar shifting means and said fixed wall cooperate to support said collar when a filter is clamped to the latter and wherein said resilient connection for said collar acts as the support therefor when the same is unclamped.

13. The combination defined in claim 11 characterized in that said resilient connection. holds said collar spaced away from said fixed wall when unclamped to provide ample clearance for the placement or removal of a filter.

HARRY B. WHITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,805,174 Gudka May 12, 1931 1,919,001 White July 18, 1933 2,060,776 Bender Nov. 10, 1936 2,085,702 Kitto June 29, 1937 2,317,569 Weaver Apr. 27, 1943 

